More Pull, Extra Height Pushes New SENNEBOGEN Log Handler To The Forefront For Ward Timber

The purpose-built 830 M-T handles multiple roles in the Ward Timber wood yard with its all-wheel-drive and levating cab.

LINDEN, TX – To keep the woodyard organized and the sawmill humming at Ward Timber, Dale Surratt expects a lot from his material handlers. When the time came to replace his two aging machines, he was ready to look at some new ideas.

“We had heard a bit about these machines from SENNEBOGEN through their area representative and their dealer here,” said Surratt, the Operations Manager at Ward Timber. “We did some research, then Max Nation, from Waukesha Pearce Inc. (WPI), put together the trip for us to see their new machine at work at a paper mill up in Wisconsin. What we saw there made a big impact on my purchase decision.”

Visibility of the pile with the high rise cab on the 830 M-T gives Ward Timber the opportunity to stack higher safely.

Operating since 1978, Ward Timber produces 300,000 tons of tree-length timber annually and 400,000 tons of chips to area mills, along with another 60,000 tons of biomass. The sawmill finishes 20 million board-feet of hardwood products per year, ranging from pallet material to cabinet-grade wood.

Soon after the onsite demo, Surratt placed the order for two SENNEBOGEN 830 M-T log handlers. The 830 M-T is a relatively new design from SENNEBOGEN, whose extensive line of material handlers is best known in scrap recycling yards and port facilities. However, the Ward Timber management team could quickly see that 830 M-T was built right for their needs.

“It was the two transmissions that really did it,” says Lewis Melton, Ward Timber’s Wood Yard Manager, referring to the unique all wheel transmission, design configuration of the 830 M-T. “We have had transmission problems in the past. With two transmissions pulling instead of one, this machine gives us the rimpull we need in the yard.”

Hitched up for multi-purpose use

Regardless of the terrain, the rim-pull with all-wheel-drive gets the 830 M-T around the yard even when the wagon’s fully loaded.

Pulling is a full-time occupation for both of Ward Timber’s log handlers. One machine is earmarked to unload and sort logs as they arrive at the yard by truck, then to stack them and pick them by species in the appropriate area of the yard. The other machine picks loads to order from the stacked logs and delivers them to the sawmill. Both units are hitched to wagons to transport the logs to and from the stacks. In either case, the trip can mean a quarter-mile drive through the mill’s wet yard area, often with 70,000 to 80,000 lb. loads in tow.

According to Constantino Lannes, President of SENNEBOGEN LLC, this is exactly the kind of multi-use duty SENNEBOGEN had in mind when the 830 M-T was designed. “A typical scrap handler or barge loader isn’t built for heavy pulling,” Lannes explains. “But those stresses are a common part of the job in a wood yard. We have worked with timber companies all over the world and we understand their particular needs for a purpose-built machine like this.”

With stresses on the transmission divided over two axles, Ward Timber looks forward to increased uptime with less demand for servicing. Meanwhile, the log handlers’ unique final drive has been more than able to negotiate the yard conditions at Ward Timber, even when the hardpan turns to mud, and to maintain high-speed efficiency as they move from job to job.

A closer look at high stacking

Loading their trailers to take to the mill or unloading the trucks that come in, the 830 M-Ts provide the productivity required.

Dale Surratt also attributes the machine’s efficient performance to another signature feature of SENNEBOGEN engineering: their hydraulic elevating cab. “These machines help us to stack logs much higher and faster with the elevated cab,” he says. With logs stacked up to 30 feet high, the SENNEBOGEN cab rises smoothly up from the undercarriage deck to give the operator an eye-level view from 23 feet above the ground.

Lewis Melton acknowledges that efficient stacking requires skilled operators, but anything that helps the operator will make the job easier, faster and safer. His new 830 M-T units handle logs ranging from 12 to 40 feet long, using a Rotobec grapple and a dead heel. On a typical day, the yard receives and sorts about 50 truck loads. “High stacking is very important to us,” Melton says, “so we can best utilize our wet yard area.” The elevated cab also provides the operator with a better vantage point for picking from the stacks, and for transferring logs from the wagon to the mill’s infeed deck.

Alone in its class

At the WPI branch in nearby Kilgore, TX, Manager Jack Smelley says the 830 M-T is a welcome addition to the dealership’s fleet of logging equipment. “We have been supplying equipment to Ward Timber for about 12 years, so we were quite familiar with their needs and challenges. Once we saw the 830 M-T in action, it was clear to us that we had the right solution for this job.”

Smelley reports that the 830 M-T log handler delivers the highest drawbar pull in its class. It’s an 85,000 lb. rubber-tired machine powered by a 206 HP Cummins engine. Compared to a standard 830 M material handler, the undercarriage of the 830 M-T is specially designed to withstand the stresses of pulling heavy loads behind.

About SENNEBOGEN

SENNEBOGEN has been a leading name in the global material handling industry for nearly 60 years. Based in Stanley, North Carolina, within the greater Charlotte region, SENNEBOGEN LLC offers a complete range of purpose-built machines to suit virtually any material handling application. Established in America in the year 2000, SENNEBOGEN LLC has quickly become a leading provider of specialized equipment solutions for recycling and scrap metal yards, barge and port operations, log-handling, transfer stations and waste facilities from coast to coast. A growing network of distributors supports SENNEBOGEN LLC sales and service across the Americas, ensuring the highest standard of professional machine support and parts availability.

For more information on the full line of SENNEBOGEN green line material handlers, contact: